More than about 200 billion pounds of petroleum-based plastics are produced annually, which can require more than seven million barrels of petroleum oil daily. Over one billion tons of plastic have been disposed of as waste, the majority of which may require thousands of years to decompose. Additionally, both manufacturing and disposing of plastic products by incineration releases vast quantities of toxins that can be damaging to human-inhabited ecosystems. Bioplastics are considered viable alternatives for replacing petroleum-based plastics.
Bioplastics are typically derived from renewable raw materials and can contain one or more biopolymeric substances. Bioplastics can be used in different settings such as catering products where the perishable plastics can be used to make disposable crockery and cutlery. Biodegradable plastics are further described in “Green Plastics, An Introduction to the New Science of Biodegradable Plastics,” by E. S. Stevens, Princeton University Press (2002) which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. Improvement in the properties of bioplastics, especially in their tensile strength, remains an issue. Thus, new or improved materials and methods such as those described herein are very much needed. The compositions, as well as the methods, described herein are directed toward these needs and other ends.